There Will Come a Time

Gr 9 Up—Mark's grief after the death of his twin sister, Grace, is so intense that he has trouble functioning. Aside from missing her desperately—if your twin dies, are you still a twin?, he wonders—he blames himself for choosing that route to drive, for not being able to avoid the car that hit theirs. The only thing that makes him feel better is visiting the bridge where she died, though he's at least self-aware enough to know that it isn't healthy. When Grace's best friend, Hanna, suggests that the two of them work together to complete Grace's list of things to do this year, which includes such terrifying entries as learning to surf and performing spoken word at a club, he agrees as a way to honor his sister. But his growing feelings for Hanna complicate matters, especially since he has a long way to go before he learns to forgive the other driver—or himself. The protagonist is of Filipino descent, though his culture is not a focal point of the narrative. Libraries looking to diversify their collections might want to pick this up, as will those looking for thoughtful, character-driven stories.—Stephanie Klose, School Library Journal